Best LED Grow Lights Review and Buying Guide

Starting a new hydroponic project? Or want to upgrade your existing system? You might want to start with the grow lights.

As one of, if not the most important part of the hydroponic system, having a proper and sufficient grow light can dramatically improve the quality of your system, increasing cost efficiency, and promoting better yields.

Among LED Grow Plant Light , Galaxyhydro 300w LED because it’s a reputable company dedicated to the research and product developments surrounding the emerging hydroponic industry. Their 300W LED Grow Plant Light product deemed a special mention of being a 9-band color spectrum grow light with a best-seller status in many marketplaces.

​

​

Among LED Grow Plant Light,TaoTronics LED light is one of the most reputable brands for grow light products available on the market. TaoTronics’ grow light products have been some of the best-selling products on many marketplaces, and the TT-GL22 is one of their most popular items.

Why We Chose This Subject

Grow lights came in different types, with wide varieties of brands, wattage ratings, and overall quality. Different plant varieties might need different types of grow lights, and might need different color spectrums to achieve optimal growth.

Different growth stages of plants will also need different grow lights, over complicating the selection process.

Therefore, we decided to compile a guide to help you make your purchase decision, where we will discuss the most popular products available on the market, and do a thorough review of each.

With grow lights being so important in improving the overall quality and efficiency of the hydroponic system, we will try to help you make a better purchase decision that will cater to your specific needs.

Why you should trust us?

Before I fell in love with hydroponics and gardening in general, I was a small business consultant as well as the active CTO of a tech startup. Understanding technologies and science like a bread and butter, and being passionate with how a plant can grow and nurture, my aim is to bring the technical knowledge decisions as comprehensive as possible so that every Hydroponic enthusiasts can make the best purchase decision possible.

Types of Grow Light Products

Generally, grow lights are classified based on the types of the lighting technology, and they are:

1. Fluorescent

There are several types of fluorescent lamps you might have heard before, in terms of its usage as a grow light, here are some things you might consider:

Very cheap

Don’t use a lot of electricity

Great overall color spectrum to promote wide varieties of plants

Fluorescent lamps can be placed very close to the plants, so is perfect for small and short spaces

One of the best choices for germination stage

Overall yields per watt are fewer than other types

In conclusion, fluorescent light (T5, CFL, etc.) is an economic choice that can be used in tight spaces. However, overall yield is not efficient compared to other types.

2. High-Intensity Discharge (HID) Grow Lights

HID lights are commonly divided into two major subtypes: the metal halide (MH) lights, and the high-pressure sodium (HPS) lights. Here are some things you might want to know:

-Highest overall yield/watt compared to other types

-HPS lights are great for flowering stage, while MH lights are preferable in the vegetative stage

-Generate a lot of heat, will need reflector hoods and cooling system

-A bit more complicated in overall installation compared to other types

3. LED Grow Lights

LEDs have undergone major advancements during the recent few years and has become one of the most popular choices for grow lights and any lighting system because of its high efficiency. Here are some things you might need to know:

-Very low temperature, so you eliminate the need to build an additional cooling system

-Easiest installation compared to other types

-Provides wider spectrums than other types, and can cater to many different varieties as well as different growth stages

TaoTronics 24w Led Grow light Bulb TT-GL22

TaoTronics Led light Bulb is Long lifetime expectancy of over 50,000 hours.

TaoTronics is one of the most reputable brands for grow light products available on the market. TaoTronics’ grow light products have been some of the best-selling products on many marketplaces, and the TT-GL22 is one of their most popular items.

The 24 Watt grow light comes with twelve 2W LEDs, with 3 bands of color spectrums of reds (630 and 660 nanometers), and blue (430 nanometers) which have been suggested as the most optimal spectrums for plant growths.

Applications

Being of a LED type,here are some considerations you might want to have for installation and application of the TaoTronics TT-GL22:

-The installation setup, as with most LEDs, is relatively easy

-LEDs, however, tend to need more space between the lamp and the plants. Being of a smaller LED, you can space the TaoTronics TT-GL22 18 inches or more from the plants.

-With two bands of red spectrum wavelengths, the TaoTronics TT-GL22 is more suitable for flowering and fruit periods

-Consists of 3 LEDs of 660 nm, 7 LEDs of 630 nm, and 2 LEDs of 460 nm

Accessories

You might want to consider using reflectors or combining with HID lamps for maximum yield and using programmable timers

Erligpowht 45W LED Red Blue

The Erligpowht LED Panel can be used for wide range of plants and growth stages.

Erligpowht LED Panel is a popular choice for indoor grow light, and with its reasons. Being relatively cheap, highly efficient, and satisfactory yield per wattage, Erlighpowht remains one of the best choices for indoor LED grow light.

The product is widely used in plant factories, greenhouses, indoor farms, and tissue culture facilities as well as many others, and is suitable for wide selection of plants such as herbs, lettuce, grapes, tomatoes, bananas, vegetables such as seaweeds, green peppers and gourd, as well as flowery plants like orchids.

Consists of 165 red LEDs of 650nm wavelength and 60 blue LEDs with 465 nm wavelength, totaling of 225 LEDs with 45 Watts of total energy.

Applications

The Erligpowht LED Panel can be used for wide range of plants and growth stages. Here are some considerations you might have regarding its installation and application:

-The built-in hanging system is quite simple to install, but is relatively thin. You might want to consider getting stronger rope hanger products from third-party

-Maintain enough space between the LED panel and the plants, with minimum space being 18″ apart

-Because this product only consists of blue and red color spectrums, you might want to combine it with other grow lights with white and green spectrums

Accessories

Commonly used with rope hangers, as well as a programmable timer. Can combine with grow lights with green and white color spectrums for better results.

The Morsen full spectrum LED, as the name suggests, offers full-spectrum color LEDs to cover a wide selection of plants as well as growth stages. This feature makes the Morsen Full Spectrum LED a popular choice, especially for low-wattage applications.

However, having a full-color spectrum is not its only great feature. The Morsen full spectrum LED grow light is famous for its efficiency, easy installation, and effective yield production by being one of the most affordable products on the market.

Applications

The Morsen Full Spectrum LED grow light consists of :

22 red spectrum LEDs

12 blue spectrum LEDs

2 white LEDs

2 infrared LEDs

2 UltraViolet LEDs

With full-color spectrums, you can apply this grow light to wide varieties of plants, as well as different growth stages.

Here are some considerations you might have during the installation and application of this product:

Being a LED lighting, the installation process is relatively simple and almost a plug and play process

Maintain at least 18″ of space between the lighting and the plants, during flowering periods, you might want to increase the space to avoid light burns

Being a full spectrum grow light, you won’t need to combine this lighting with another product, and can cover almost all different growth periods

With its built-in 4,72″ cooling fans and heat sinks, the Viparspectra 300W grow light also has a great heat dissipation feature, maintaining cool temperature during use which is highly important to maintain plant’s health.

Applications

The Viparspectra 300W LED’s performance can compare to a 250W HID lamps, despite ‘only’ using an active wattage of 136 watts.

Here are some considerations you may have before installing this product:

This grow light can cover 9 sq ft (3’x3′) of growing area, with a recommended coverage being 2’x2′

Recommended space/height from plants are 24″ and above

With full-color spectrums covered, this product can be used for many types of plants at different grow stages, and you most likely won’t need to complement it with another product.

Accessories

Here are some accessories you might want to consider for this product:

Rope Hangers

Although the package comes with its own hanging kit, you might want to consider a stronger one

Galaxyhydro is a reputable company dedicated to the research and product developments surrounding the emerging hydroponic industry. Their 300W LED Grow Plant Light product deemed a special mention of being a 9-band color spectrum grow light with a best-seller status in many marketplaces.

Covering almost all of the essential color spectrums for healthy plant growth with 100 pieces of LED, the Galaxyhydro LED Grow Plant Light can cover many different kinds of plants from vegetables to fruits to flowers, and can be utilized in all growth stages from germination to vegetative to flowering stage.

Applications

Here are some considerations you might want to have before installing this product:

The package comes with its own hanging kit, the installation process is relatively simple, and won’t need additional ballast

Recommended height/spacing between light and plants are 48″-56″ during germination stage, 40″-48″ during vegetative stage, and 24″-40″ during flowering stage

The product came with its built-in cooling system, and can maintain low temperature even after long usage.

Accessories

You might want to consider replacing the hanging kit with stronger third-party products

Lighting time is essential to maintain healthy plant growth, and you can maximize it with using a programmable timer

MarsHydro Mars300 LED Grow Light Full Spectrum for Hydroponic

One of the most High power efficiency and energy saving products on the market.

MarsHydro is one of the most reliable brands for hydroponic lighting. With almost a decade of experience, their products are some of the most popular choices for hydroponic enthusiasts and industry practitioners.

The Mars300 is one of the best selling grow lights in 300W range, and not without its reasons. Covering red, white, and blue spectrums, the product is one of the best choices for vegetative and flowering stages. One of the few products available with UL-safety certifications, the product is very durable and reliable, while maintaining great power efficiency and yields.

Applications

The Marshydro Mars 300 is best utilized for vegetative and flowering growth stages, and will be the most effective with these following conditions:

Coverage area of 2’x2′ during vegetative stage and 1.5’x1.5′ during flowering stage

Recommended spacing to plants of at least 20″ during flowering stage, and 30″ during vegetative stage

Steel hanging kit is included in the package, and the installation process is relatively easy

Although the product is very durable, it is not intended for outdoor use

OxyLED LED Grow Light Bulb

This LED Grow Light Bulb Built-in heatsink, maintaining cool temperature during long usage.

If you are looking for an affordable grow light especially for small hydroponic projects, the OxyLED is one of the most affordable options you can get.

However, being cheap doesn’t necessarily mean it compromised the overall quality.The OxyLED Grow Light Bulb is highly efficient and came with 3 blue LEDs and 9 red ones, covering the red and blue color spectrums needed for plants’ healthy growth.

With focused spectrums of red and blue, the OxyLED is effective for leaf and fruit plants and can assist the photosynthesis process to promote healthy growth. Being of 12W in power wattage, the product is best utilized for small plants or small projects.

Applications

Here are some considerations for the installation and applications of the OxyLED Grow Light:

Best installed with a height distance of 2′-3′ from plants

The installation process, as with most low-wattage LEDs, is very simple

Best utilized for flowering stage and germination stage

Accessories

You might want to consider adding reflectors to widen the coverage area of the grow light

Low wattage, might need to install multiple lights to achieve the desired result

Small coverage area

Relatively low overall light intensity and output

Actual wattage of only 8 Watts

​

​

Ultimate Buying Guideline for Best LED Grow Lights

Although there are many factors that may affect your purchase decision, here are some of the most important ones you must consider:

1. Power Efficiency

The overall wattage usage and yield per watt are some of the most important considerations you might have, especially if you are running a commercial hydroponic farm. Consider whether the size of your grow area fits the wattage requirement of your selected grow light.

2. Color Spectrum

3. Heat Dissipation

If you are using grow lights that will generate heat over time, you might need to build an additional heat ventilation system.

Editor’s Choice

​

​

Here are our product recommendations based on different factors we’ve discussed above:

1. Best Energy Efficiency

Winner: Galaxyhydro LED Grow Plant Light 300w

With the actual wattage of 145W, great yield/watt, and high overall efficiency, the Galaxyhydro LED Grow Plant is the best choice for an efficient hydroponic system.

2. Most Affordable

Winner: OxyLED LED Grow Light Bulb

Very cheap, but not of a cheap quality. High energy efficiency, red and blue color spectrums for a wide range of applications, and great overall performance.

3. Best Overall

Winner: Galaxyhydro LED Grow Plant Light 300w

The Galaxyhydro LED Grow Plant Light is not only power efficient, it’s also competitively priced, generating great yield per watt performance, and can cover full 9 band spectrums for a wide variety of applications.

Editors Choice

DESIGN

​PERFORMANCE

ACCESSORIES

PORTABILITY​

CUSTOMER SUPPORT​

Great price, great quality, and most user reviews during our research indicated overall satisfaction with all aspects.

Douglas McAdams

Douglas McAdams was a technology practitioner by day, and a hydroponic enthusiasts by night (and also day!). His wide affinity to technology has allowed him to build and consulted many successful hydroponic systems and farms in the past and is regularly contributing to the advancements of hydroponic technology and its community.